Toy gun



Mar ch 22, 1938. E. B. JONES ET AL TOY GUN Filed May 1, 1937 Ecccccccccc lka.

ll/Ill!! I Wa lnvenTors. EvnesT Budones Edwin \/.Bc1bbiTT 10 M ATTyS.

Patented Mar. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE V. Babbitt, Marion,

Mass., assignors to National Fireworks, Inc., West Hanover, Mass, acorporation of Massachusetts Application May 1, 1937, Serial No. 140.206

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a toy gun provided with a compressible springfor projecting a projectile into the air and in which the projectile isheld against projection from the gun by means of a fuse extending fromthe projectile and which, when burned away, releases the projectile andallows it to be projected by the expansive force of the spring. Thedevice may take various forms and is adapted to cooperate with a widevariety of projectiles. Such projectiles may be, for example, both of anexplosive and non-explosive character, may be adapted for use indaylight or for use as fireworks, may be destroyed in use or repossessedand re-used.

The object of the invention is further to provide simple and efficientconstruction for this purpose.

The object of the invention is further to provide a construction for thepurpose set forth in the form of a mortar.

The object of the invention is further to provide a construction for thepurpose set forth in the form of a cannon, the elevation of which may beadjusted.

The object of the invention is further to provide a construction in theform of a gun or cannon in which the projectile is a firecracker and inwhich the explosion of the firecracker will take place in the air afterits projection from the gun.

These and other objects and features of the invention will appear morefully from the accompanying description and drawing and will beparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of the invention as embodied in atoy cannon with the projectile in the form of a firecracker and with thefirecracker shown traveling upward from the muzzle and exploding at anelevated position in the air.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a cannon embodying one form of theinvention with the firecracker in the cannon held by its fuse inposition for projection therefrom.

Fig. 3 is a view chiefly in vertical cross section of the constructionshown in Fig. 2 with the projecting spring shown expanded and with avertical position of the barrel indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a view in horizontal cross section of the construction showntaken through the wheel axle with the barrel in horizontal position.

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section of another form of the invention inwhich the projectile which may be of any desired type is provided with astem and in which the fuse is passed through an aperture in the stem andengages the barrel of the gun to hold the projectile in firing position.

Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation partially broken away of a third formof the invention in which the gun is in the form of a mortar with aprojectile of any desired type but in which the projectile is adapted tobe exploded by the continued burning of its fuse after it has beenprojected into the air.

Referring first to that form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 tol, inclusive, there is here illustrated a gun or a cannon fordischarging into the air an ordinary firecracker having a projectingfuse which continues to burn after the firecracker is discharged fromthe gun and thus causes the explosion of the firecracker to take placehigh in the air.

As illustrated, the construction comprises a simple form of carriagehaving a trail, an axle passing through the trail and a pair of wheelsmounted on the axle. The trail is shown as comprising a pair of legs lconnected by cross struts 2. The wheels 3 are of any suitable similarform and are journaled upon the axle 6 which passes centrally throughthe wheels and through the forward ends of the arms I. This axle isconveniently made as a bolt having at one outer end a thumb nut 5threaded thereon.

The barrel is shown as comprising an outer barrel 6 which may be made ofa metal casting and a barrel tube 1 which may be of a sheet metal tube.The outer barrel 6 is shown as having formed or cast thereon a pair ofdepending trunnions 8 through which the axle 4 passes. The barrel tube 1has a tight telescoping fit within the outer barrel 8 and preferablyprojects well forward therefrom and is of a proper size to correspondwith the size of the firecracker to be inserted therein.

The projection or the firecracker from the barrel is in the constructionillustrated efiected by a longitudinally expansion spring 9 cf thehelical type. This spring is conveniently secured against expulsion fromthe barrel with its lower end seated against inturned positioning lipsit struck up from the lower end of the tube and with a pin i i passingdiametrically through the tube and the spring and acting further tosecure the tube in the outer barrel. The tub-e l at the muzzle end isprovided with an opening i2 through its wall and this opening ispreferably formed as a notch in a lip i3 projecting from the side wallof the tube.

Ihe elements thus described are so correlated that when a firecrackersuch as 14 having a fuse I5 is forced into the muzzle compressing thespring 9 until the fuse end of the firecracker comes opposite theopening [2 and the fuse I5 is inserted through this opening, thefirecracker will remain in position holding the spring compressed until,after being ignited, the portion of the fuse projecting laterally fromthe barrel is burned, whereupon the spring will be released and thefirecracker will be projected by the spring into the air stillunexploded so that it will explode in the air after projection from thecannon. In Fig. 1 the firecracker I4 is illustrated traveling throughthe air still unexploded and again exploding at the point I6 high up inthe air.

The angle of elevation of the barrel may be determined by swinging thebarrel about the axle 4 and the barrel is locked in any desired angle ofelevation by tightening up the set screw 5, whereupon the wheels, thecarriage and the barrel are all locked in adjusted position.

The outer barrel is shown as provided with radial lugs I! which engagethe upper face of the carriage legs I and may act to determine apredetermined angle of elevation of the barrel, such, for example, asthe vertical position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

Another form of invention is illustrated more or less diagrammaticallyin Fig. 5 in which the gun is shown without any support, it beingunderstood that any suitable support may be provided for holding it inthe required position and in which the projectile serves to illustrateany type of device either of an explosive or a non-explosive characterand which may have attached thereto or contain therewithin any desiredobjects or material suitable for either daylight or nighttime use. Inthis form of the invention there is illustrated a tubular barrel IS withits lower end inturned at I9 to leave a center aperture at the end. Thelongitudinal compressible spring 20 is again illustrated as of thehelical type and held in any suitable manner against expulsion from thebarrel. For this purpose two pins 2| are illustrated engaging the lowercoil of the spring and embedded in the barrel. The projectile comprisesthe display head 22 and a projecting stem 23 of any suitable material.This stem is provided near its end with a transverse aperture 24 adaptedto receive a piece of fuse 25. The projectile is shown in firingposition with the spring compressed and with the fuse passed through theaperture 23 so that it extends laterally from and in engagement with thebarrel. As in the previous case, the projectile will now remain inposition until the portion of the fuse projecting laterally is burnedaway, when the projectile will be released and the spring will projectit into the air. If the projectile is not destroyed, it may berepossessed and the operation repeated.

Still another typical form of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 6. Inthis case the gun is in the form of a mortar 26 adapted to rest upon theground or other support and such as is employed in discharging daylightor nighttime fireworks or other suitable projectiles. The longitudinallycompressible spring is again illustrated at 21 as of the helical typeand is shown as held against expulsion from the gun by being pinned at23 at its inner or lower end to the base of the gun or mortar. Theprojectile 29, which may be of any shape and style and contain anydesired material, is shown as of globular form and is assumed to containan explosive 30. A fuse 3! projects laterally from the projectile and,when this fuse burns into the projectile, is adapted to explode andscatter the contents thereof. The barrel of the mortar is illustrated asprovided with a vertical slot 32 extending from its upper end andterminating in an offset portion 33. The device is shown in firingposition with the spring longitudinally compressed by the projectile andwith the fuse engaging the offset portion 33 of the slot of the barreland acting thereby to hold the projectile in firing position against theexpansive force of the spring. When the fuse is burned sufiiciently torelease its hold upon the barrel, the spring acts to project theprojectile from the barrel into the air.

In each case the fuse acts in conjunction with the opening through whichit extends either in the barrel or in the projectile as the sole meansfor holding the projectile in position with the spring compressed andthe burning of the fuse is relied upon to release the projectile toprojection by the expansive force of the spring. The fuse thus acts as astrut interlocking with either the barrel or projectile and abuttingagainst the other to maintain the projectile in the required position.

It will thus be seen that the invention is of wide application and thatit may be embodied in various forms within the scope of the claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A firecracker gun comprising a barrel having an outer barrel and abarrel tube secured therein, the said tube having a hook-like projectionfrom its wall at the muzzle end forming an open-sided opening throughthe wall of the bar rel, and a helical spring in the barrel secured atits inner end to the inner end of the barrel and extending when expandedwell toward the muzzle, the said elements being so correlated that, whena firecracker is forced into the muzzle compressing the spring until thefuse end is opposite said opening and the fuse is inserted through saidopening, the firecracker will remain in position until the portion ofthe fuse projecting laterally from the barrel is burned and thefirecracker will then be projected from the barrel before exploding.

2. A firecracker gun comprising a barrel having an opening for theinsertion of the firecracker fuse through its wall and a longitudinallycompressible spring in the barrel secured against expulsion therefromand of such length and power that, when a firecracker is forced into themuzzle compressing the spring until the fuse end is opposite saidopening and the fuse is inserted through said opening, the firecrackerwill remain in position until the portion of the fuse projectinglaterally from the barrel is burned and the firecracker will then beprojected from the barrel before exploding, the said fuse in conjunctionwith said opening acting as the sole means for holding the firecrackerin position with the spring compressed,

3. A firecracker cannon comprising a carriage having a trail, a barrelwith trunnions, a pair of wheels, an axle passing through the wheels,trunnions and carriage, and a nut threaded to one end of the axle actingwhen tightened up to lock the barrel in any desired angle of elevation.

4. A firecracker cannon comprising the construction defined in claim 3,together with cooperating stops on the barrel and carriage forpositioning the barrel at a predetermined angle of elevation.

5. A firecracker gun comprising a barrel having an opening through itswall at the muzzle end for the insertion of the firecracker fuse, and aspring held compressed by'the firecracker when positioned in the barrelwith its fuse end opposite said opening, the fuse acting, when extendedthrough said opening, as the sole means in conjunction with said openingfor holding the firecracker in said position, and the spring acting,when the firecracker is released by the burning of the portion of thefuse projecting from said opening, to project the firecracker from thebarrel before exploding.

6. A mortar having an opening for the insertion of a fuse through itsside wall and a longitudinally compressible spring in the mortar securedagainst expulsion therefrom, and a projectile having a fuse projectinglaterally therefrom, the said spring being of such length and power thatwhen it is compressed by the projectile and the fuse extending from theprojectile is extended through said opening, the projectile will remainin position until the portion of the fuse projecting from the mortar isburned to release the projectile and allow it to be projected by thespring from the mortar, the said fuse in conjunction with said openingacting as the sole means for holding the projectile in position with thespring compressed.

7. The combination of a toy gun barrel, a longitudinally compressiblespring located in the barrel and secured against expulsion therefrom, aprojectile, a fuse, and means acting, when the projectile is in thebarrel in engagement with the compressed spring and the fuse is extendedtransversely of the projectile and barrel in abutting engagement Withone of said elements, to interlock the fuse and the other of saidelements, whereby the projectile is held in position against theexpansive force of the spring solely by the fuse and is released forprojection by the spring only upon the burning of the fuse.

8. The combination of a toy gun barrel, a longitudinally compressiblespring located in the barrel and secured against expulsion therefrom, aprojectile provided with a stem having an aperture therethrough, and afuse acting, when extended through said aperture transversely of theprojectile and barrel and in abutting engagement with the barrel andwith the projectile in the barrel in engagement with the compressedspring, to hold the projectile in position against the expansive forceof the spring and to release the projectile for projection by the springonly upon the burning of the fuse.

ERNEST B. JONES. EDWIN V. BABBITT.

